At a time when India’s new Covid-19 cases have begun to show signs of slowing down, Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed to citizens not to be complacent and lower their guard amid concerns of another surge as the festive season kicks in.

Addressing the nation via a short televised speech, Modi today said that India’s recovery rate is 83 per cent and that the country has also managed to contain the fatality rate compared to other countries including the US and Brazil. He pointed out that Europe is witnessing a fresh surge in coronavirus cases.

“This is not the time to be careless. This is not the time to think that corona is gone and the danger is over,” Modi said, adding that the economy is on a recovery path.

“In this festive season, markets are bright again but we need to remember that the lockdown might have ended but Covid-19 still persists. With efforts of every Indian over the last seven to eight months, India is in a stable situation we must not let it deteriorate,” he said.

“We have tackled the virus well but we need to do a better job, the prime minister says. Our recovery rate is good, the mortality rate is low, our caseload is lower than Brazil and US, however, it is still not the time to be careless,” the Prime Minister said.

The Prime Minister added that work on a coronavirus vaccine is at an advanced stage in the country and that the government is putting in place a plan to ensure it reaches every citizen once it is out.

“Whenever we get a vaccine we will get it delivered to everyone and we are working towards it,” Modi said, adding that until then citizens will have to adhere to the health protocol which includes social distancing and mandatory wearing of masks.

Modi’s speech today was the seventh address after the country went into a strict lockdown on March 25. The country, which suffered a contraction of 23.9 per cent in the first quarter of the current financial year, started to unlock from June. The unlock exercise is still underway. While most economic activities have been allowed to resume, certain activities have not yet opened.

India’s overall coronavirus cases stood at 76 lakh. But what has given solace to many is the fact that the number of fresh cases has shown a decline and after several weeks, the country registered less than 50,000 new Covid cases in a day..